Shikamaru's Happy Ending
by ReaperDuckling
Summary: "Anyway, Shikamaru-san! Your former teammates came to talk to me about your problems and I think it might do you some good to get away from the village for a while. Therefore, I'm sending you on a diplomatic mission to Suna for one year." Part of the Happy Ending series


**AN: **I just really like ShikaTema

**Warnings: **...depression

* * *

_**~8**__**th**__** of June~**_

They put up another war memorial.

A simple stone standing next to the other by the graveyard, the one from the third ninja war, with name after name after name of family and friends and coworkers carved into it with small, delicate letters.

The name at the top of the list was Tsunade's.

Her name was traced with gentle fingers by Shizune, that was sitting by the foot of the stone sobbing quietly even as Kakashi held his speech to the villagers, _his _villagers now, of how the fallen would never be forgotten, of how they were _heroes. _

He spoke pretty words of peace and new beginnings, the syllables rolling off of his tongue clumsily, and had to fight the urge to smile (_a twisted, sad smile_) when he caught himself telling everyone about the will of fire, and the springtime of youth.

Kakashi watched his people morn; watched Tsume hug Hinata to her harshly (_the older woman crying for the death of her only son, the younger for her comrades and her father_), watched the cold emptiness swim in Ino's, Shikamaru's, Chouji's and Lee's eyes, and the tears that fell freely from Naruto's cheeks (_he cried for them all, friends and strangers, deceased and those left to live with the weight of it. It made Kakashi think bitterly about how he should have been made Hokage, how much more __**worthy **__Naruto would have been_) – and it made him think about the joint shinobi army, about the pretty words of alliances and friendship, about one nation, one people.

And yet, the only names written on the stone were the ones of Konoha's own.

In death, everyone had been divided, and everyone was alone.

He thought about his meeting with his father in the afterlife, and wondered how many others there were sitting there now, staring at the flickering of flames in the darkness of limbo, awaiting their loved ones.

He wondered if Neji was one of them, waiting to tell Lee that it was alright, he'd given his life willingly but they'd always be friends, please be happy? Was Hiashi sitting next to him, waiting for Hinata and Hanabi?

He wondered if Tsunade had been reunited with Jiraiya, and if, at least in death, he'd finally found the courage to tell her how he felt.

A mental image of Shikaku, Chôza and Inoichi sitting by the fire, laughing and reminiscing about the good old days of their life's while awaiting their children and wife's struck him suddenly, making him force down a smile.

And then another, one of Rin and Obito (_a child in death. Innocent and pure, like he'd once been, before war and death and __**pain**__ had crushed and malformed him_) sitting by the fire, waiting for _**him**_, for them to be together again like they were meant to – and suddenly he knew, he just _**knew**_, that they'd be alright.

There was a wedding ring around his finger, spreading warmth throughout his entire body, and before he knew what he was doing, Kakashi found himself walking up to Shizune by the stone and putting a hand on her trembling shoulder.

He raised his head, and spoke to his people.

"We'll be alright… _They're _watching over us."

_**~1**__**st**__** of July~**_

Shikamaru was standing in the Hokage office, looking out the window in a bored fashion.

He'd been let in there by Shizune 45 minutes earlier, their meeting was to have begun 40 minutes ago and he was just about to give up and leave when suddenly, a very sheepish looking Kakashi came sneaking in through the window.

"Sorry, Shikamaru…" he begun, even as he took up his Icha Icha book and sat down by the table. "…I had to go put out a wildfire!"

The jounin raised a questioning eyebrow and sniffed the air, taking note of the complete lack of any smoke scent, and put his hands in his pockets.

"Sure you did."

"Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here-"

"Not really."

Kakashi raised his eyes from the book to look at him curiously.

Shikamaru only scoffed and turned away.  
"It doesn't take a genius to realize that those traitors went and talked to you about me… Am I right?"

"Now, now, Shikamaru-san…" The Hokage laughed and put Icha Icha away completely. "…you mustn't talk about your friends like that. They only meant to help you!"

He gave the floor a light kick. "So troublesome…"

"Anyway, Shikamaru-san! Your former teammates came to talk to me about your problems and I think it might do you some good to get away from the village for a while. Therefore, I'm sending you on a diplomatic mission to Suna for one year."

Shikamaru sighed.

He should have expected this.

"Hokage-sama…" he muttered dejectedly, before straightening up to meet the other male's eyes. "…I don't think that's a very good idea."

Kakashi only smirked.  
"You sound like you have a choice."

"_She's _not going to help anything!"

The Hokage chuckled and put the pornography book to his face once again.

"Oh, I think she will…"

_**~4**__**th**__** of July~**_

As Shikamaru reached the city gates of Suna and saw Temari standing there waiting for him, her giant fan in her hands and a scowl on her face, he couldn't help the sudden urge to just grab his things and _**run**_, as long and as far as his legs could carry him.

Surely the life of a missing nin couldn't be _**that **_bad, could it?

Then again, she was quicker than him and would probably just drag him with her back to the city if he tried anything anyway.

He felt the beginning of a headache throb in the back of his head, and sighed.

It was best to just get it over with, he supposed.

Purposefully dragging his feet as he walked up to the sand city, he gave her a small wave of his hand and a grimace that was just too lazy to be described as a proper smile when she turned to him.

She didn't smile back.

Instead, her scowl only seemed to deepen, and when he'd finally reached her she unrolled a piece of paper (_well shit_) that she'd previously been hiding behind her back.

"Drinking, smoking three packs a day, won't spend time with his friends, cries in his sleep…"

"I do _**not **_cry in my sleep!"

"…haven't been to visit Kurenai since the war, introverted, _**is showing suicidal signs?!**_"

Shikamaru scoffed and looked down at the ground, feeling his face grow hot under Temari's cold glare.

He _really _needed a smoke…

"What kind of _**pathetic bullshit **_is this?! Please tell me that they sent me the wrong letter, and that the one they're _**really **_writing about here is a five year old girl!"

"A five year old girl; drinking and smoking three packs a day?"

"You _**know **_what I meant!"

A tense silence fell over them; Temari giving him an intense glare only made hotter by the desert sun above them, Shikamaru just kind of trying to ignore her while wondering whether or not he'd burst into flame like an ant under a seeing glass soon…?

It certainly felt like that.

Finally, his old habits gave in to the pressure.

"Tssk!" He scoffed, and kicked the ground softly. "Women are so troublesome…"

To his surprise, she actually laughed at this; a rough bark of happiness that made something in his heart shift and his eyes search out hers.

She gave him a cocky smile.  
"Like you're one to talk, emo boy."

He smiled back.

_**~10**__**th**__** of August~**_

She was laying curled up next to him in bed, as naked as the day she was born but _**a lot **_sexier, a thin sheet of sweat covering her curvaceous body and her blond hair a tussled mess around her shoulders.

Shikamaru took a deep breath of his cigarette, and released it with a contented sigh.

"So…?" Temari purred seductively, and swirled one of his few chest hairs with her finger. "…are you feeling any better yet, emo boy?"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Actually, I don't…" he extinguished the cigarette against the bedside table, and turned towards her. "…I think we need to go another round."

The raven captured her lips in a quick kiss, making her giggle slightly.

"So _**this **_isn't too troublesome, is it?"

He kissed her again.

"Not when you're so good at it."

"TEMARI! SHIKAMARU!" The loud, angry voice of the Kazekage boomed from the other side of the bedroom door, making them pull away from each other reluctantly. "What have I TOLD you about having sex in MY bed?! I swear to KAMI this is the THIRD TIME THIS WEEK! Unless you've noticed, you HAVE your own room!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed.

"So troublesome…"

"Come on…" Temari pulled him to her again and kissed his lips, affectively reawakening his neither regions. "…I'm sure that if we pretend not to hear him long enough, he'll get tired of screaming and walk away. And if not…" she smirked. "…the door is locked and I'm sure that we can scream louder than he can."

He smirked right back at her.

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
